Owner Denies Guilt in Stabbing of Cat
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A Santa Paula man suspected in the stabbing of his cat with a penknife pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he abused and wounded the animal.
Kenneth McGowan, 59, was arrested April 28 on suspicion of animal cruelty after police investigated a complaint that his cat, Paint, had been stabbed in the back two weeks earlier, according to police.
McGowan surrendered at the Police Department after he was asked to come to the station for questioning. A judge later released him on recognizance.
McGowan allegedly stabbed the cat after it urinated on the bed in his mobile home on Richmond Road. When his wife returned home, she called Humane League workers, who rescued the cat.
The cat was being cared for by the league’s cat director, Julia Robinson, in Oxnard. The cat received stitches and is recovering.
McGowan will appear in court June 2 for a preliminary hearing, when a judge will determine whether there is sufficient evidence for a trial.
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